SIBU: Construction works at the Bintangor-Julau Junction and Sibu Airport-Sungai Kua Bridge (Works Package 07) of the Pan Borneo Highway are showing steady progress.
Lebuhraya Borneo Utara (LBU) shared a drone video compiled in early May this year via its Facebook page uploaded on Tuesday, on the work progress including the completed stretches of the first carriageway at Julau Section.
Its spokesperson said the drone video provides an aerial view of the Batang Rajang Bridge or more popularly known as Durin Bridge.
“Once completed, the bridge will rise up to about 22 metres from the approach ground. It will mirror the existing bridge with two navigation channels.
“The video then brings its viewer to see the Sibu Airport Interchange where its 84 girders (beams) had been successfully launched recently. The interchange is expected to be completed by May next year,” he said.
He added other scenes in the video cover progress being made on other bridges in this works package.
Meanwhile, the closing segment or stitching process of the middle portion of the balanced cantilever sections of the new Batang Tatau Bridge was successfully completed end of last month.
It took the construction team approximately four hours to complete the stitching process which involved the pouring of some 40 m3 of concrete for the middle portion or Segment S14 with a length of 4.1m, 7.5m width and 3.15m in depth.
“With the completion of this process, it means the construction team has readied the main structure of the balanced cantilever.
“The process literally is a designated construction sequence to close the last segment, or gap, between the edges of two opposite cantilever segments to form a complete continuous span.”
He explained that four stages were involved in this process of completing the casting of the closing segment.
“First, the horizontal cross bracings have to be installed before the vertical alignment is being adjusted between the ends of the two opposing cantilever segments, by using clamping trusses and carefully pulling them to match the level at the top. Once this is done, the closing segment formwork will be installed to fix the closing segment in its rightful place, along with other necessary reinforcement etc. before it goes to the last stage of casting using high strength concrete. This is followed by stressing the bottom tendons of this closing segment upon the concrete achieving 70 per cent of its strength.”
Batang Tatau Bridge is a 486.35-metre-long bridge, stretching over eight spans and comprises of 57 cantilevered segments and 35 post tensioned girder beams.
“The balanced cantilever segments are cast in-situ with each segment taking an average cycle time of 12 to 14 days to complete starting from dismantling and moving the ‘form traveler’ into position, fixing it, rebar and concreting inclusive of stressing.
“The overall progress of the bridge which includes the embankment approach is about 70 per cent completed and is scheduled for full completion by the end of October this year,” he said.
The old Batang Tatau Bridge, built under the Fourth Malaysia Plan in 1979 was maintained after it passed the proof load test at the end of June last year. Proof load test is a process carried out to ascertain the load bearing capacity of a bridge under increased loading capacity in the future.
The old Batang Tatau Bridge catered to both Bintulu bound and Sibu bound traffic. With the new Batang Tatau Bridge built parallel to it, the two separate bridges will be made available with two lanes in each direction where the old bridge will serve the Sibu bound traffic while the new bridge will serve the Bintulu bound traffic.
